Pop Song 89
| "Pop Song 89" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by R.E.M. | ||||
| from the album Green | ||||
| B-side | "Pop Song 89" (acoustic version) | |||
| Released | May 1989 | |||
| Format | 7" single, CD single, cassette single | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:03 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Writer(s) | Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe | |||
| Producer(s) | Scott Litt & R.E.M. | |||
| R.E.M. singles chronology | ||||
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"Pop Song 89" was the opening track and third single released from R.E.M.'s sixth studio album Green. It peaked at number 86 on the Hot 100, and in the UK "Stand" was re-released instead.
The video was directed by band frontman Michael Stipe and features him and three women, all of them topless, dancing to the song. When MTV asked Stipe to put censor bars on the three women in the video, he superimposed black bars on the chests of all four dancers, himself included, later stating, "a nipple is a nipple."
The acoustic version that was used as the single's B-side was also included on disc 4 of the 1993 box set The Automatic Box, along with the other Green B-sides, and the bonus disc of the limited two-disc edition of In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 in 2003.
"Pop Song 89" was covered by Motion City Soundtrack for Punk Goes 80's and by Rockfour for their record For Fans Only!.
Charts
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Hot 100 | 94 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 86 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 16 |
Track listing
All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe.
- "Pop Song 89" – 3:03
- "Pop Song 89" (acoustic) – 2:58